Preface: In December 2010, I traveled over 4,000 miles by bus from Lima, Peru, all the way to the tip of South America in Ushuaia, Argentina. After my Peruvian leg, I took a break and hung out in Arica, near the Peruvian and Bolivian borders with Chile. It is a port town in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth.
After a light-hearted moment at the border, in which I had to pantomime to customs officials what the beef jerky in my backpack was, I reached the extraordinarily clean city of Arica. After my stint in Peru, I grew accustomed to a moderate level of general filth. Arica’s prosperity became quickly apparent as I saw two metrosexual dudes zip past me in a BMW Z3 with the top down.
After plopping my backpack in the hotel room and washing my face, I was ready to move about. Being stuck on a long-distance bus for almost 24 hours will motivate even the most slothful amongst us. Plus, I needed to get in shape for some hiking in Patagonia.
Arica’s looming geologic formation is El Morro. It is a 500 foot tall hill that juts out next to the flat town. This used to all belong to Peru, until Chile won it in a battle in 1880. There’s a military museum on top of El Morro and I wanted to check it out.
I made it almost to the top without even resting to catch my breath. However, my fear of heights got the better of me. The last one hundred foot stretch to the summit was incredibly steep and slippery. I froze. I had to hike halfway back down the hill and take a longer, less steep trail up to the summit. I’m glad I wasn’t a soldier here in 1880.
Though Chile has for decades now been ruled by a succession of peace-loving, progressive, and democratically elected presidents, the shadow of Cold War strongman Augusto Pinochet was omnipresent on the summit. Patriotic marching songs were played over loud speakers. The weakness and inferiority of Peru and Bolivia, the losers of the War of the Pacific (1879-83), were clearly spelled out in every diorama and display in the museum.
I literally run out of the stifling, suffocating, museum, and into the open and fresh air. I have a panoramic view of the city, the port, the ocean, and beyond. Thanks to this conquest, Bolivia became a poor, landlocked country and Peru lost lots of land that was and still is overflowing with minerals. Chile, through military might, became stronger and richer.
On the way down El Morro, I spy my next stop, a church built by Gustave Eiffel. Yes, that Eiffel. Given the lack of trees in this arid region, the entire structure was made of cast iron, except for the wooden door. All of the pieces were made in France and shipped to Arica for final assembly. That is the power of mineral wealth.
Being a car buff, I followed a little French Citroen 2CV into a public garage. You may recall that Snoopy drove one of these. After World War II, the countries of the Southern Cone tried to promote domestic manufacturing by banning the import of cars, trucks, and other machines. Citroen 2CVs like the one I saw were built in a plant right here in Arica.
With the sun about to set, I went about hunting for food. Arica is a popular vacation destination for wealthy Bolivians. And they were all at Doggis, a large Chilean hot dog chain. Dozens of doting mothers and their pudgy offspring waited in line at this incredibly inefficient restaurant. A dozen teenaged employees behind the counter helped one solitary cashier. One would fill a cup with ice. Two would pour soda into the cup. Three would find a straw for that soda. The two who were supposed to snap the lids on were on break.
It was endearing to see the enthusiasm of the children. At what point in a person’s life, or, at what stage in a country’s development, does going to a fast food outlet become a depressing, soul sucking act?
This is what I ended up with. The Chileans are obsessed with avocados. The dog was delicioso, even though it had the consistency of a thick tube of Oscar Meyer Bologna. Aside from the creamy avocado, the dog came with chopped tomatoes and a mustard/mayonnaise sauce. I wanted a large order of fries. No such container existed, so I got fries in two small containers instead.
I get to bed early, as I have a date with the Andes, vicunas, and a condor tomorrow.
Images source: Maxichamp
